20 patients with stroke more than one year earlier were evaluated, admitted to a novel therapy including constraint-induced and computer game-motivated therapy. Statistically significant improvements after 4 weeks of late therapy were seen in all 20 patients on nine out of eleven quantified clinical evaluation scales. The patients looked forward to and enjoyed the therapy. These same late stroke patients were studied via fMRI BOLD immediately before therapy and post therapy. fMRI BOLD studies confirm brain functional reorganization; 3 of the 20 fMRI cases are presented here. We propose that fMRI can help in the process of designing effective stroke therapy programs based on biological principles of brain plasticity.

Results suggest that individuals who have the strongest coping skills and the least resentment toward their illness seem best able to gain strength and reject the sick role as a permanent identity. Health care providers must acknowledge patients' illness perceptions and design interventions focused on optimizing functional ability in vulnerable transplant recipients.

Transplant education has been historically unstructured and inconsistent. The purpose of this study was to measure nursing students’ knowledge and attitudes toward organ donation, allocation, and preparation for practice using a modified version of the Organ Donation Attitude Questionnaire II-Student Version. Scores were low, particularly regarding brain death and organ allocation. Preparedness for practice was related to knowledge of brain death (z = 2.05, p = .04); knowledge (t = 2.24, p = .03) and attitude (t = 7.55, p < .0001) were related to signing a driver’s license. Results support including organ donation and transplant education in nursing curricula.

Results suggest that individuals who have the strongest coping skills and the least resentment toward their illness seem best able to gain strength and reject the sick role as a permanent identity. Health care providers must acknowledge patients' illness perceptions and design interventions focused on optimizing functional ability in vulnerable transplant recipients.